CDOT documents recovery after Red Mountain Pass rockslide

CDOT documents recovery after Red Mountain Pass rockslide

OURAY, Colo. — The Colorado Department of Transportation produced a video — “Rocks on Red Mountain Pass — An event that tested community, commitment and courage” — documenting the nearly monthlong closure of U.S. 550 earlier this year.

The rockslide on Jan. 12 caused the highway — dubbed the Million Dollar Highway — to close from Jan. 13 to Feb. 10 between Silverton and Ouray on Red Mountain Pass as more than 40 CDOT workers and another two dozen contracted staff made the road safe again.

While the closure of Red Mountain Pass occurs often, CDOT says it did not have documentation of it being closed for nearly a month previously.

“I credit our team for having the foresight to bring in additional experts from our consulting team, as well as neighboring Ouray and Silverton communities to help us get our job done safely and effectively,” CDOT Region 5 Transportation Director Kerrie Neet said. “This truly was a community effort in every sense of the word.”